Ghormeh Sabzi
Encyclopedia
Ghormeh sabzihttp://events.nytimes.com/2009/06/07/travel/07choice.html?pagewanted=2http://www.shamshiri.com/stews/http://www.flamepersiancuisine.com/http://www.shirazrestaurant.net/glendale/menu.html is a Persian herb stew
. It is a popular dish and an important element of Persian cuisine, often said to be the Iranian "national dish". In Azerbaijan, the stew is called Səbzi qovurma.
The main ingredients are a mixture of sauteed herbs, consisting mainly of parsley
, leek, and a smaller amount of fenugreek
leaves--where this is usually the dry herb of the mix. The herb mixture has many variations; spinach
and coriander
are added in some regions, but do not form part of the original recipe. This mixture is cooked
with kidney beans or black eyed peas, red onion
s, chopped chives
, pierced dehydrated limes
, and turmeric
seasoned lamb shank or neck or veal
meat
. Traditional Qormeh sabzi is almost always cooked with lamb and kidney beans, while in some northwestern regions of Iran, variations with black-eye beans exist. In recent times, some people replace beans with potatoes, which is also not part of the original recipe. Also, some prefer to leave out the fenugreek, while many consider it to be an essential ingredient. The dish is then served with polo
(Persian rice
) or over "tahdig
" (bottom-of-the-pot), the crunchy al-dente section of the twice-cooked rice.
Sabzi means greenery, and also describes various green herbs.
Stew
A stew is a combination of solid food ingredients that have been cooked in liquid and served in the resultant gravy. Ingredients in a stew can include any combination of vegetables , meat, especially tougher meats suitable for slow-cooking, such as beef. Poultry, sausages, and seafood are also used...
. It is a popular dish and an important element of Persian cuisine, often said to be the Iranian "national dish". In Azerbaijan, the stew is called Səbzi qovurma.
The main ingredients are a mixture of sauteed herbs, consisting mainly of parsley
Parsley
Parsley is a species of Petroselinum in the family Apiaceae, native to the central Mediterranean region , naturalized elsewhere in Europe, and widely cultivated as an herb, a spice and a vegetable.- Description :Garden parsley is a bright green hairless biennial herbaceous plant in temperate...
, leek, and a smaller amount of fenugreek
Fenugreek
Fenugreek is a plant in the family Fabaceae. Fenugreek is used both as a herb and as a spice . The leaves and sprouts are also eaten as vegetables...
leaves--where this is usually the dry herb of the mix. The herb mixture has many variations; spinach
Spinach
Spinach is an edible flowering plant in the family of Amaranthaceae. It is native to central and southwestern Asia. It is an annual plant , which grows to a height of up to 30 cm. Spinach may survive over winter in temperate regions...
and coriander
Coriander
Coriander is an annual herb in the family Apiaceae. Coriander is native to southern Europe and North Africa to southwestern Asia. It is a soft, hairless plant growing to tall. The leaves are variable in shape, broadly lobed at the base of the plant, and slender and feathery higher on the...
are added in some regions, but do not form part of the original recipe. This mixture is cooked
Cooking
Cooking is the process of preparing food by use of heat. Cooking techniques and ingredients vary widely across the world, reflecting unique environmental, economic, and cultural traditions. Cooks themselves also vary widely in skill and training...
with kidney beans or black eyed peas, red onion
Red onion
Red onions, sometimes called purple onions, are cultivars of the onion with purplish red skin and white flesh tinged with red.These onions tend to be medium to large in size and have a mild to sweet flavor. They are often consumed raw, grilled or lightly cooked with other foods, or added as color...
s, chopped chives
Chives
Chives are the smallest species of the edible onions. A perennial plant, they are native to Europe, Asia and North America.. Allium schoenoprasum is the only species of Allium native to both the New and the Old World....
, pierced dehydrated limes
Lime (fruit)
Lime is a term referring to a number of different citrus fruits, both species and hybrids, which are typically round, green to yellow in color, 3–6 cm in diameter, and containing sour and acidic pulp. Limes are a good source of vitamin C. Limes are often used to accent the flavors of foods and...
, and turmeric
Turmeric
Turmeric is a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial plant of the ginger family, Zingiberaceae. It is native to tropical South Asia and needs temperatures between 20 °C and 30 °C and a considerable amount of annual rainfall to thrive...
seasoned lamb shank or neck or veal
Veal
Veal is the meat of young cattle , as opposed to meat from older cattle. Though veal can be produced from a calf of either sex and any breed, most veal comes from male calves of dairy cattle breeds...
meat
Meat
Meat is animal flesh that is used as food. Most often, this means the skeletal muscle and associated fat and other tissues, but it may also describe other edible tissues such as organs and offal...
. Traditional Qormeh sabzi is almost always cooked with lamb and kidney beans, while in some northwestern regions of Iran, variations with black-eye beans exist. In recent times, some people replace beans with potatoes, which is also not part of the original recipe. Also, some prefer to leave out the fenugreek, while many consider it to be an essential ingredient. The dish is then served with polo
Pilaf
Pilaf is a dish in which rice is cooked in a seasoned broth . In some cases, the rice may also attain its brown color by being stirred with bits of cooked onion, as well as a large mix of spices...
(Persian rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
) or over "tahdig
Tahdig
Tahdig is a speciality of Iranian cuisine consisting of crisp rice taken from the bottom of the pot in which the rice is cooked. The name comes from a Persian word meaning "bottom of the pot"...
" (bottom-of-the-pot), the crunchy al-dente section of the twice-cooked rice.
Sabzi means greenery, and also describes various green herbs.